#BBC Panel Module

[ramautomations123]

BBC SYNPOL CMA-32 GVT 360–5792 PCB Card | Industrial Automation Control Board | Ram Automations

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[paulrennie]

My Kind of Genius • Lord Norman Foster • Renault Swindon • 1982

The recent issue of the Renault Owners' Club magazine had a slightly off-piste article about the Renault parts distribution centre, located in Swindon and built in 1982. It was designed by Norman Foster, and is an important step in the development of high-tech architecture during that time.

The article made me think again about what Foster was trying to do then, and what he has achieved since.

It's absolutely no co-incidence that Foster's building is located in Swindon. The town is positioned about half-way between London and Bristol, in the corridor described by IK Brunel's, Great Western Railway. Brunel had conceptualised his railway as both an engineering and business development, and as an expression of the accelerated feeling of technological development . Brunel projected a seamless continuation of this axis towards New York, by steamship, and thence across the US... Although Brunel's larger idea remained mostly unrealised, it provided a start from which the later development of Heathrow airport, the M4 corridor, freight distribution and out-of-town industrial zones were all aligned. Today, the TFLs Elizabeth Line, and the Acton Corridor, with the Old Oak Common campus development are each parts of what has become Brunel's Great Southern City, from Felixstowe to Bristol...and with Swindon at its centre.

In the 1960s, Cedric Price reconceptualised the linear city as the think-belt, and with inter-action centres at its nodes along the network's spine. Will Alsop later proposed a northern version of this that became the loose template for the Northern Powerhouse.

The architecture of infinite extension imagined by Brunel was expressed, in Victorian times, by the iron and glass structures of Joseph Paxton and the Crystal Palace. It was this kit-of-parts that inspired Foster and his high-tech colleagues to use 20C computing and materials to do more with less and to build lighter, bigger, higher and longer.

When you look closely at Foster's Renault building it is a canopy that can be extended, through the kit-of-parts, addition of modules. Each module comprises a steel frame held in tension and with a light skin roof, and with a skylight panel in the centre. The standard module is 24m sq. The Swindon structure comprises some 40 odd modules over an irregular 20 000 m2 of warehouse space. The volume of space beneath the canopy is vast and may be configured in whatever way is required. The expression of thinking through materials is even extended to the colour of the structure, which is painted the famous Renault yellow.

The lightweight PVC roof covering allows for a relative lightness of internal support structure, and of the exterior facing walls which are not load bearing.

Once I started thinking of canopies, I realised that they form a very significant part of Norman Foster's career, including the many enclosures of courtyard spaces that followed that of the British Museum. I also started thinking about tents and self-supporting geodesic structures...it's all beautifully connected; from Paxton to Buckminster Fuller and Prouvé.

The engineering and sculptural calculus required for these new scales of structure were pioneered by Arups, especially by Peter Rice and Ted Happold. The Foster association with the greatest engineering minds has been a constant throughout.

My own interest in Renault comes from my appreciation of the R4 as an expression of low-tech simplicity, economy and practicality in mass-market car design. The car is an exemplar of how a design brief can be taken to its logical end-point, and without compromise. Those same characteristics apply to Foster's Renault building and across his long and very distinguished career.

The BBC iplayer has a number of historic architectural documentaries listed, as parts of the Building Sights series.

Brunel's linear city concept is being proposed in its updated 21C iteration across Saudi Arabia. It's called The Line...

And you can see pictures of our R4 and van, here

[turtlethon]

"Bye, Bye, Fly"

Season 3, Episode 44  

First US Airdate: December 19, 1989   First BBC UK broadcast: May 1, 1992

Baxter Stockman discovers an ancient temple that’s actually an alien spaceship.

"Bye, Bye, Fly" is the sixty-second episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. David Wise is the credited writer for this outing. This one follows on from the events of "Return of the Fly" from earlier this season.

We open today with Donatello filming the other three Turtles performing a synchronised exercise routine that ends with them spinning on their backs. Donnie reveals that he’s going to provide the tape to April, and they’ll have a best-selling exercise video, “Turtlerobics!” I’m not sure why April’s boss who hates them would approve such a project, or why they’ve suddenly decided they don’t care about keeping a low profile; since none of this is ever mentioned again, we can only assume nothing ever came of it.

Later, the Turtles eat pizza while they watch April report on an ancient temple uncovered by archaeologists. When the cameras stop rolling, the crew of the dig are scared off from the site by Baxter Stockman, who has been scavenging the nearby catacombs for trash. He enters the temple and declares it will make the perfect place to plot his revenge against Shredder, Krang and the Turtles for everything they’ve done to him in the series thus far (jamming him into another dimension, turning him into a mutant fly, freezing him).

In his rage, Baxter pounds a nearby podium that turns out to actually be a control panel. This activates the computers in what is revealed to be an alien spacecraft that crash-landed on Earth 300 years ago. Baxter goes on to have an extended conversation with the spaceship’s computer. He learns the ship has a trans-warp drive that will allow it to travel to Dimension X. With this knowledge, he plans to use the drive’s crystal as bait for Shredder and Krang.

We learned in “Mister Ogg Goes to Town” - the previous David Wise episode, and the last proper one to advance any storylines prior to “Shredderville” - that the Technodrome was beginning to run perilously low on energy. The situation continues to deteriorate today, as Shredder struggles to get the dimensional portal working, and Krang laments there’s so little power that he can barely keep his nightlight on. Shreds orders Bebop and Rocksteady – who were supposed to have the afternoon off – to dispose of the trash manually, as there’s no juice left to run the incinerator.

Bebop and Rocksteady stand at an entrance on the side of the Technodrome and dump their trash, stopping to notice the many tunnels that they’ve dug up in the surrounding area via the use of their transport modules throughout this season. Baxter swoops in to greet them, offering up the crystal from the warp drive as a gift to Krang.

The mutants deliver the gift, and upon learning it was from Baxter, Shredder is understandably suspicious. Krang waves this off, saying he never looks a gift horsefly in the mouth. He explains that it’s a Berrelium crystal, and could be used to transport the Technodrome anywhere.

Later, Shredder and his mutants travel on Footskis in search of Baxter, finding sections of the warp drive scattered around. Shreds again is wary, convinced his old underling is up to something, but Krang – guiding the mission via com-link – is too wrapped up in the idea of gaining the use of the technology to care.

In the Lair, the Turtles speculate that the archaeologists are digging near the underground river, and wonder if there’s a possibility they’ll stumble upon their home. They decide to check out the site of the dig first-hand, and in case you forgot who was funding this series they decide to do so using some items from the Playmates TMNT toy line: the Sewer Party Tubes, now sized to fit a single Turtle rather than the multi-person version seen earlier in this season. Leonardo instead opts to use a device that looks an awful lot like the accessory bundled with the Sewer Swimmin’ Donatello action figure. Later, in the river, the team encounter Shredder and his men on their Footskis as we head into the first commercial break.

The battle unfolds as the second part of the show begins, and any suspicions that this episode was made to appease Playmates are only strengthened by the numerous sequences where the bad guys demonstrate the missile firing mechanisms on their vehicles (sample dialogue: “those Footskis are awesome!”) The Turtles submerge themselves underwater to avoid being hit by one of Shredder’s Footski’s accessories missiles. Shreds rather naively assumes this is definitely the end of them, for realsies this time, and the bad guys speed off on their way to find Baxter.

The Turtles re-emerge and wonder what Shredder’s up to. Donatello finds an unusual object lying around, and tucks it away in case it turns out to be useful later.

In the spaceship, Baxter seeks weapons in order to confront Shredder and Krang upon their arrival. The ship’s computer provides him with a muta-zoo ray, a gun that Baxter quickly uses to turn a passing rat into an ant. The computer explains that the ray can be used to “turn anyone into any animal you want”, although the design suggests there are at most six options available.

Shredder and his mutants arrive at the entrance of the spaceship shortly before the Turtles, who somehow manage to catch up despite the loss of their vehicles. Our heroes overhear Shredder talking to Krang about the parts of the drive and conclude the piece found by Donnie must be the final component they’re looking for. Yet again Shredder protests to Krang that this must be a trap, and volunteers Rocksteady and Bebop to investigate. A fun moment follows, where the mutant duo rightly protest being sent into what they’ve just been told is likely a set-up; Shreds tells them if they refuse, he’ll cut them into fish bait.

Baxter sees Rocksteady and Bebop sneaking in. He refrains from using the muta-zoo ray on them, figuring nothing he does could make them look worse.

After Shredder discovers the temple is actually a spaceship, he’s confronted by Baxter in what at least begins as a cool sequence. Shredder produces a sword out of nowhere (in much the same fashion as he did when duelling Usagi Yojimbo), but Baxter blasts him with the ray gun, turning him into a small fly that sports his trademark helmet. The Turtles intervene, leading Baxter to open fire once more; Raph, Don and Leo are shocked to discover that the ray has turned Mikey into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Gerbil as act two ends.

The final portion of the episode begins with both Michaelangelo and Shredder understandably upset. Bebop and Rocksteady discover what has happened to their boss and turn to Krang for guidance, who orders them to get the warp drive. The ship’s computer urges Baxter to get it first, and a showdown between Stockman and Bebop unfolds. The warthog henchman ends up running for cover, and Baxter is able to grab the device.

Outside the ship, Bebop and Rocksteady again request help from Krang, before being ordered by Shredder to head back inside. It dawns on the two mutants that Shreds is in no position to boss them around, and Bebop clasps the fly between his hands. With the power dynamic now firmly altered, he ends up asking them what to do next.

Inside, the Turtles confront the computer and threaten to meddle with its circuitry if it doesn’t divulge Baxter’s plan. After some pressing, they begin to get the information they need, and after acquiring special space suits that deflect the muta-ray's beams, they confront Baxter on the bridge of the spaceship. The fly tosses the ray gun down a nearby chute, and informs our heroes they only have three minutes to find it before the entire structure takes off. In an unusually badass moment for the Turtles – at least in this era of the show – they’re entirely unfazed by this threat, silently slicing through the wall and walking past Baxter. They slide down the chute and recover the gun on the ground floor.

The trio – Gerbil Michaelangelo has gotten lost in the mix here somewhere – are briefly confronted by a group of angry robot chefs until Donatello steps in to do some quick reprogramming. Having retrieved the ray gun, they revert Mikey to his normal form. Later, as the group attempt to exit the ship, they encounter Rocksteady and Bebop, who are able to snatch the gun. Everyone flees as it becomes apparent the journey to Dimension X is about to begin, but outside Donatello points out he still has the missing component of the drive.

An initially jubilant Baxter soon becomes horrified as the ship begins falling apart in mid-flight, the computer pointing out to him that he neglected to fit the retaining bolt to the warp drive. Lost between dimensions, he crashes into a giant web and is about to be devoured by a spider-like creature as we begin wrapping things up.

Bebop and Rocksteady speed back to the Technodrome on their Footskis, accompanied by Shredder, who is still in fly form. He again demands that they turn him back, but neither of them is in any hurry to do so.

Back in the Lair, the Turtles watch as April files a second report from the site of the dig. An archaeologist warns everyone not to return to the site as the disappearance of the temple is a sure sign the area is cursed. Everyone is relieved that the Lair is now safe, and Raphael remarks that they’ve been “saved by science” before we get the most awkward version of that bit from the end of every eighties cartoon where the heroes laugh that I’ve ever seen.

"Bye, Bye, Fly" is a lot of fun, a breezy little adventure that draws upon some of the themes we’ve seen in previous episodes like the Technodrome’s worsening power crisis and begins setting things up for next season, as Baxter will – quite improbably – live to return in a future outing. Bebop and Rocksteady noting how much of a mess the transport modules have made around the Earth’s core also feels like a little wink to the fact that this era of the series is drawing to a close.

Baxter taking off in the ship at the end doesn’t make a whole lot of sense; he can fly to Dimension X but there’s no obvious advantage to him being there. If anything, he’d have been better off staying in the ship/temple and using it as his base of operations to plot revenge. Chalk this one up to his muddled post-mutation brain, I suppose.

Dorian Harewood fills in as the voice of Shredder for the second show in a row, and although this episode isn’t as explicitly about the character as “Shredderville” was, he has a lot more to do in it. James Avery will be back in the role for the remainder of the season.

I have mixed feelings about the visuals here; this is one of the better-looking episodes of the season in terms of how well-drawn it is, but still frames viewed in isolation don’t convey how truly janky everything is. Not “The Turtle Terminator” bad, but definitely among the clunker offerings from this year’s shows. Don’t let that put you off though; “Bye, Bye, Fly” is an above average affair for this era, that’s essential viewing both due to it moving Baxter’s story forward and as part of the wider end-of-the-season story arc.

NEXT TIME: The Big Trilogy begins!

[sciencespies]

Russia is scheduling a nuclear-powered spacecraft to travel to Jupiter

https://sciencespies.com/space/russia-is-scheduling-a-nuclear-powered-spacecraft-to-travel-to-jupiter/

Russia is scheduling a nuclear-powered spacecraft to travel to Jupiter

Russia is planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to the Moon, then Venus, then Jupiter.

Roscosmos, Russia’s federal space agency, announced Saturday that its “space tug” – the term for a spacecraft that transports astronauts or equipment from one orbit to another – is scheduled to launch on an interplanetary mission in 2030.

The spacecraft’s energy module, named “Zeus”, is designed to generate enough power to propel heavy cargo through deep space. It’s essentially a mobile nuclear-power plant.

Several countries have their eyes on similar technology as a way to shorten trips in space. Right now, spacecraft rely on solar power or gravity to accelerate. But that means it could take more than three years for astronauts to conduct a round-trip visit to Mars.

NASA estimates that a nuclear-powered spacecraft could shave a year off that timeline.

The US hopes to put a nuclear-power plant – a 10-kilowatt reactor integrated with a lunar lander – on the Moon as early as 2027. So far, however, NASA has only sent one nuclear reactor to space, on a satellite in 1965. Other spacecraft, like the Mars Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, are also nuclear-powered, but they don’t use a reactor.

Russia, meanwhile, has put more than 30 reactors in space. It’s “Zeus” module would advance those efforts by using a 500-kilowatt nuclear reactor to propel itself from one planet to the next, according to Russian state news agency Sputnik.

The mission plan calls for the spacecraft to approach the Moon first, then head toward Venus, where it can use the planet’s gravity to shift directions toward its final destination, Jupiter. That would help conserve propellant.

The entire mission would last 50 months (a little over four years), according to Alexander Bloshenko, Roscosmos’ executive director for long-term programs and science. During a presentation in Moscow on Saturday, Bloshenko said Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences are still working to calculate the flight’s ballistics, or trajectory, as well as the amount of weight it can carry.

The mission may ultimately be a precursor to a new frontier of Russian spaceflight: Sputnik reported that Russia is designing a space station that uses the same nuclear-powered technology.

Nuclear energy has advantages over solar power in space

Most spacecraft get their energy from a few sources: the sun, batteries, or unstable atoms called radioisotopes.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft at Jupiter, for instance, uses solar panels to generate electricity. Solar power can also be used to charge batteries in a spacecraft, but the energy source becomes less potent as a spacecraft gets farther from the sun. In other cases, lithium batteries can help power shorter missions on their own. The Huygens probe, for instance, used batteries to briefly land on Saturn’s moon, Titan, in 2005.

NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft use radioisotopes (sometimes called “nuclear batteries”) to survive the harsh environments of the outer Solar System and interstellar space, but that’s not the same as bringing a nuclear reactor on board.

Nuclear reactors offer several advantages: They can survive cold, dark regions of the Solar System without requiring sunlight. They’re also reliable for long periods of time – the “Zeus” nuclear reactor is designed to last 10 to 12 years. Plus, they can propel spacecraft to other planets in less time.

But nuclear power has its challenges, too. Only certain types of fuel, like highly enriched uranium, can withstand a reactor’s extremely high temperatures – and they may not be the safe to use. In December, the US prohibited the use of highly enriched uranium to propel objects into space if a mission is possible with other nuclear fuel or non-nuclear power sources.

Russia is gearing up for a nuclear-powered space station

Russian engineers began developing the “Zeus” module in 2010 with the goal of sending it to orbit within two decades. They’re on track to meet that mark.

Engineers started manufacturing and testing a prototype in 2018, Sputnik reported. Roscosmos also signed a contract last year worth 4.2 billion rubles (US$57.5 million) that put Arsenal, a design company based in St. Petersburg, in charge of a preliminary design.

The technology could aid Russia’s efforts to develop a new space station by 2025. The BBC reported last month that Russia plans to cut ties with the International Space Station – which it shares with the US, Japan, Europe, and Canada – that year.

Russia launched the ISS in partnership with the US in 1998. But Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov told the state TV channel Russia 1 last month that the ISS’s condition “leaves much to be desired.” Indeed, the station has recently experienced air leaks and a breakdown of its oxygen-supply system.

NASA has cleared the ISS to fly until at least 2028, but the agency will likely deorbit the station in the next 10 to 15 years.

This article was originally published by Business Insider.

More from Business Insider:

#Space

[ramautomations123]

BBC CMA-37 GVT 360–5798 Voltage Monitoring Card | Industrial PCB Module | Ram Automations

Discover durability and precision with the BBC CMA-37 GVT 360–5798 Voltage Monitoring Card — a reliable component for maintaining optimal voltage stability in your industrial automation systems. At Ram Automations, we bring you tested and verified legacy modules to ensure your system stays operational without unnecessary replacements.

This used voltage monitoring PCB is ideal for various industrial and marine automation setups, offering excellent performance in power management and voltage detection applications. Whether you’re maintaining legacy equipment or repairing older automation panels, this module fits right into your operational strategy.

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• 🆔 Model: CMA-37 GVT 360–5798 • 🏢 Brand: BBC • ⚙️ Type: Voltage Monitoring PCB Card • 📦 Condition: Tested & Verified • ���� Application: Industrial cabinets, power automation, marine systems, electrical diagnostics

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[technuter]

HTC VIVE COSMOS will be available globally in October

HTC VIVE announced features and functionality of the new VIVE COSMOS including upcoming pricing and availability, and pre-order bonuses. Vive Cosmos is the latest premium PC-based virtual reality (VR) system created with a new level of accessibility and ease of use, designed to grow with users over time through a modular faceplate design that can change the functionality of the headset, such as the newly announced Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod. Cosmos will launch in India in October during festive season. Raymond Pao, Senior VP of Product and Strategy, HTC Vive, said, “Since Vive began our VR journey, we’ve continued to refine and improve on what a premium VR experience can and should be. Cosmos offers an unmatched experience and is also our most versatile headset yet—with inside-out tracking, options in the future for different faceplates, unlimited content in the box, and the new user interface, we see limitless possibilities for XR customers.” 

Vive Cosmos was built to adapt to the needs of VR customers with ease, versatility, and performance at the forefront. The all-new Vive tracking system offers a simplified setup that makes getting into VR faster and easier than ever before, with six camera sensors for wide and accurate inside-out tracking. Cosmos features a 2880 x 1700 combined pixel resolution—an 88% increase over the original Vive—delivering crystal-clear text and graphics. All-new LCD panels reduce the distance between pixels and combined with real RGB displays minimize screen-door effect. A unique flip-up design allows users to jump between reality and virtual reality in seconds—all without disrupting VR journeys. Superior ergonomics and comfort allow for longer VR experiences and integrated on-ear headphones provide fully immersive sound. Cosmos also features completely redesigned controllers that maximize functionality within VR and offer extended comfort during long play sessions. Cosmos is also compatible with the Vive Wireless Adapter for those who want to enjoy moving in VR without being tethered. With a modular faceplate design, Vive Cosmos is the most versatile premium VR headset yet, designed with upcoming accessories to change the functionality of the headset and offer customers the ability for their headset to grow with them over time. The first official “mod”, announced today, is the Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod for customers that want to continue to use their existing Lighthouse base stations for tracking scenarios, but also take advantage of the superior performance of Vive Cosmos. This first base station-compatible mod supports Vive’s ecosystem of peripherals including the Vive Tracker, delivering unprecedented input freedom for VR controls. This new mod will be available in Q1 of next year. Vive Cosmos is the VR headset that packs a powerful content punch right out of the gate. Viveport Infinity subscription gives unlimited access to hundreds of top-rated VR apps, games, and videos like A Fisherman’s Tale, Fujii, and Ninja Legends, as well as premium videos from top brands like GoPro, Discovery channel, and Animal Planet. In tandem with the Vive Cosmos launch, Viveport Infinity will be adding new titles such as Doctor Who: The Edge of Time by Maze Theory, Playstack, and BBC; Eleven Eleven by Syfy; Battlewake by Survios; Gloomy Eyes by Atlas V and 3dar; and Swords of Gargantua by Yomuneco and Gumi; and MLB Home Run Derby by MLB. Cosmos offers an out-of-box experience that is easy to set-up and launch into virtual worlds using the new Vive Reality System. Vive Cosmos is the first headset to offer the Vive Reality System, a reimagined core software experience for Vive. The Vive Reality System is an entirely new design philosophy for VR, offering an extension of life to make VR feel less like launching apps and more like stepping between worlds. Cosmos will feature a redesigned user interface called Lens to easily navigate XR and Viveport Infinity applications, and a new, dynamic home space called Origin. The Origin space is the launchpad for VR applications and interactive experiences that will grow over time.

Vive Cosmos Specs

Screen: Dual 3.4" LCD diagonal Resolution: 1440 x 1700 pixels per eye (2880 x 1700 pixels combined) Refresh rate: 90 Hz Field of view: 110 degrees Audio: Built-in stereo headphones Required PC connectivity: USB 3.0, DisplayPort 1.2 Peripheral Ports: USB-C 3.0, proprietary connection to mods Tracking: no minimum space requirements for standing/seated, minimum 2m x 1.5m for room-scale mode Module Faceplates: Vive Motion Mod (ships with Cosmos) and Vive Cosmos External Tracking Mod (sold separately) Vive Wireless Adapter support: Yes, sold separately with attach kit. Available PCIe slot required Read the full article

[turtlethon]

"The Big Rip-Off"

Season 3, Episode 45

First US Airdate: December 20, 1989   First BBC UK broadcast: May 8, 1992 

The Turtles race to rescue April when she finds herself trapped in an air-tight vault.

We begin wrapping up season three of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with "The Big Rip-Off", the first part of what's sometimes referred to as "The Big Trilogy". This is the last episode of the season written by Michael Reaves. Things are about to get good.

Rocksteady and Bebop are visiting “THE RESEARC[H AND] DEVELOPMENT PLAN[T]”. Once inside, they call back to Shredder in the Technodrome, which is now hanging over a very precarious ledge, a pool of lava waiting ominously beneath it. The mutants are given orders to steal energy modules that are desperately needed to keep the power on, but the Turtles are already waiting for them.

If it feels like we’ve been here a million times over the last year, rest assured that everyone working on the show is fully aware of how repetitive this setup has become; When Bebop questions how the Turtles knew they would be in this plant, Leonardo responds that it’s the only power plant in town they haven’t raided yet.

The Turtles, who in stark contrast to their portrayal in “Shredderville” are becoming increasingly smug about how easy all of this is, quickly place Bebop and Rocksteady on the defensive as April films everything from a distance. They drop glue on the floor that sticks to the feet of the bumbling duo, pinning them to the spot.

Rocksteady rebounds by hurling his sword at Leonardo. It misses, but just happens to hit a nearby control panel and activate a hook mechanism. The henchmen grab on and are dragged away from the sticky floor. They crash through the wall, bounce off the door of the transport module and hit the ground. Incredible. By the time the Turtles charge outside, the module is on its way back underground.

I should point out that during this battle, Krang affectionately referred to Rocksteady and Bebop as THE BOYS while in conversation with Shredder. It’s official and canon from this point onward.

April mentions she’s on her way to report on the supercomputer security system being introduced at Fort Charles to guard a super energy source, but we’ll get back to that. Donatello suggests that Rocksteady and Bebop have been targeting energy facilities a lot recently; Michaelangelo retorts that “they’re after energy in every episode”, however Donnie speculates that their situation is worsening, the mutants now no longer even carrying their laser weapons. With this in mind, they determine that the fort may be their next target.

The Boys return to the Technodrome to find Shredder wandering around with a candle chandelier, and have to make their excuses for their latest failure in one of the funniest scenes of the entire season. Krang points out that with the ledge beneath them continuing to crumble and with no power to maintain their refrigeration systems, things are becoming more dire by the minute.

Back in the Lair, the Turtles watch as April films her report from the Fort’s storage center, “probably the most heavily fortified place on the face of the Earth”. Robots resembling ED-209 and Horde Troopers are seen wandering around, surrounding the installation’s supercomputer. Shredder and Krang watch the same report and learn of the Trilithium crystal stored in the vault. When Krang points out it would be impossible to get the crystal given how highly guarded it is, Shreds explains that he only wants the Turtles to think they’re attempting to steal it while they raid a different energy source elsewhere, and I’ve gotta say that after sixty-five episodes this is probably the smartest plan he’s ever had, one that actually has a degree of foresight for once.

Krang remains sceptical as Shredder insists this will work. Again, after so many failures, I can’t really blame him.

If the reveal a few episodes ago that Shredder was a master baker came as a surprise, he now goes on to reveal that he’s the greatest hacker to ever live, effortlessly logging into Fort Charles’s supercomputer in a matter of seconds and reprogramming it. Holy shit. He pulls off this feat just in time as the power fully goes out in the Technodrome seconds later, plunging the entire headquarters into darkness. Bebop emerges carrying a light to find Rocksteady sprawled across a fallen Shredder’s lap, before Krang chews out Shredder for using the last of their power on his hacking spree.

I’ve said in the past that this series isn’t so much about the Turtles as it is the story of a man whose ill-advised marriage to an alien brain led to him being lumbered with two doofus children. By this point it’s beginning to feel like the dad won’t stop squandering the last of the family’s money on hare-brained get-rich-quick schemes, and we’re all kind of holding out hope that maybe this will be the one that – almost literally – gets him out of the hole.

The fort’s robots, now reprogrammed, reconvene and begin hurling all of the human employees out of the building. April continues her live report and the Turtles watch on TV as the robots pick her up and hurl her into the vault. Donatello confirms that his suspicions were correct – Shredder has taken over the premises. The Turtles realise time is now of the essence, as April will suffocate if left for long enough inside the vault.

Act two opens with the Turtles racing on Cheapskates to the fort. While the military open fire from the outside, attempting to gain access, Vernon reports from the scene alongside Stan. Shredder and Krang watch this unfold from the Technodrome, their screen powered by Bebop and Rocksteady frantically pedalling on bikes.

Shredder actually manages to get something resembling a compliment out of Krang as the quality of the art begins disintegrating by the second. He outlines the next step of his plan, ordering Rocksteady and Bebop to head to the Malik Missile Plant to get the supplies they need. Krang suggests that even Shredder’s mutants should be able to make this plan work, and that emphasis will become important later.

The Turtles use a sewer line leading directly into the fort – erroneously left unsecured by the military – to gain access, and quickly have to disable a nearby CCTV camera. Meanwhile, Vernon’s reports continue outside the building. He comments on the possibility that April might die if she’s not freed from the vault within the next hour, and promises that should this happen he’ll continue on in her place, quietly adding that he’ll get a raise for it too. Honestly, Vernon’s friction with April [and by extension Irma] has always been fairly petty stuff up to now; this, on the other hand, is low even for him.

One of the ED-209s – let's be real, that’s effectively what they are – confronts the Turtles, and our heroes make a valiant effort to tackle it before realising this is a bad idea. They eventually retreat into a ventilation shaft in the roof only to find there are smaller robot drones patrolling this area too.

In the vault, April desperately tries to contact the Turtles via her Turtlecom, unable to breathe and unable to speak... at... normal... rate. This is another scene that looks like it was produced in an incredibly rushed manner, undermining what should be a rare moment of genuine peril in the series. 

Leonardo uses his sword to carve a hole in a vent, allowing the team to drop down to a lower floor of the complex. Along the way, Donatello stops to remind the viewers not to try any of this at home. Just the absolute worst possible time for a “zany” fourth wall break.

Across town, Bebop and Rocksteady are collecting the fuel cells they need without anyone intervening to stop them. They happily remark on how nice it is to be able to commit a crime without having to worry about the Turtles for a change. Good for them.

Vernon’s outside broadcasts continue with him talking himself up some more. He has a weird flat-top hairdo in the wide shots during this episode, because the season is almost over and everyone just wants to go home.

The Turtles continue to fight their way through the many traps dotted around the fort, as well as the waves of robots, but the odds prove overwhelming. Finally, Donatello has an idea, leading the team to the restroom (Raphael quips that he should have thought of this before they left). In a moment reminiscent of the end of The Turtle Terminator, the team lift mounted mirrors off the walls, and point them at the robots, the deflected laser beams quickly turning them into piles of scrap metal.

Shredder urges Rocksteady and Bebop to rush back to the Technodrome, figuring that once the Turtles realise they’ve been had, they’ll quickly head to the rocket plant. He goes on to ask Krang how he feels about getting a little exercise so they can get the viewscreens going again.

In the fort, the Turtles use the scrap parts to disguise themselves as robots so they can wander through the various sections of the building without attracting attention. This feels like a painfully drawn-out process; at the rate it’s taking them to get to the vault it’s a wonder April isn’t long dead already.

Back in the Technodrome, we witness a truly iconic TMNT moment, as Krang furiously pedals on one of the bikes to just about power up the viewscreen. He watches with Shredder as the disguised Turtles arrive at the computer’s control room. Our heroes stumble around in the least convincing fashion possible before being identified as intruders, eventually just saying “fuck it” and tossing their robot costumes aside. Donatello disables the computer, allowing the vault to be unlocked. Inside, April rightly asks the question “what took you guys so long?”

Krang and Shredder witness all of these events and note that the vault is now wide open, granting them easy access to the Trilithium crystal. Shreds points out that the crystal is too unstable, but Krang is insistent that he should go and try to take it anyway, on the basis that “your mutants are sure to fail”.

Moments later, a transport module pops up in the fort’s control room right in front of the Turtles. Shredder emerges and simply barges right past them, making a bee-line for the crystal. Michaelangelo blocks his path, grabbing the crystal for himself and threatening to hurl it despite Shredder’s protestations that it’s highly unstable. The Turtles begin hurling it between each other anyway, doing a very similar [American] football schtick to the one we saw at the climax of “Turtles at the Earth’s Core” earlier this season.

Deciding all of this is far more trouble than it’s worth, Shreds attempts to flee in his transport module, tossing the crystal away, but Donatello knocks it into the back of the module as it tunnels away. This feels like a good way to make sure that Shredder... is not alive... anymore. That’s definitely something other incarnations of the Turtles would be fine with, but these guys?

Sure enough, a huge explosion occurs in the rear of the transport module, one that’s big enough that the Turtles and April feel it above ground. Donatello suggests that whatever happened to Shreds, he hopes it’s nothing good. (Some real spite on display here too.)

The transport module and Shredder both somehow survive and crash back into the Technodrome. Shreds is stunned to find the lights on, and a happy Bebop & Rocksteady have returned to greet him. Krang explains that The Boys obtained the energy needed from the rocket site; thanks to his mutants, the Technodrome’s systems are now at full power.

This might be where you’re expecting some kind of punchline; somehow, Bebop and Rocksteady will have messed up, and there’ll be some sting in the tale that ruins everything, sending our resident bad guys right back to where they started. But no.

They did it. Rocksteady and Bebop successfully completed a mission and have revived the Technodrome. Do you believe in miracles? The Isotopes win a game! The Isotopes win a game!

The Technodrome is seen pulling away from the cliff edge it was dangling over before we cut back to the Lair. The Turtles are arrogantly mocking their foes, scoffing at the idea that they’ll ever revive the Technodrome when April breaks the news on TV of the raid on the rocket plant. This is all played for laughs, but let’s not allow them to diminish Rocksteady and Bebop’s moment of triumph.

Michael Reaves has contributed some stellar episodes throughout this season, his best work up there with that of David Wise. While I have some quibbles with how this story was handled – April being in genuine mortal danger is the one time the Turtles absolutely should not be doing flippant quips and talking to the kids at home – I still consider this to be a top-tier, landmark episode. For one of the first times ever, it feels as if there are genuine stakes, that things are progressing a little beyond the status quo, and that the villains have a glimmer of competency. The Turtles working through waves of traps and robots feels like something from one of the TMNT video games played out in animated form, and the jokes – at least from the villains – all land.

The writing for this episode is so strong that it somehow makes up for the often-woeful images appearing on-screen throughout. There are frequent sequences where characters devolve into a blobby mess, and while there are well-done moments dotted throughout (Bebop delivers an anecdote about the tooth fairy during the rocket plant raid where some wonderful character work shines through), there’s a sense that the wheels are now long gone from the cart and everyone is doing their best to push it over the finish line.

NEXT TIME: The rise of the Technodrome in “The Big Break-In"!

[dontletmeontheinternet]

The Natural Materials That Could Replace Environmentally Harmful Plastics

"The BBC has an article detailing new efforts to replace plastics used in products and construction with newer, less environmentally harmful alternative materials," writes Slashdot reader dryriver. The new products mentioned in the report include: Stone Wool: To transform one of the world's most abundant resources into something with utility and sustainability takes a special kind of alchemy. Stone wool comes from natural igneous rock -- the kind that forms after lava cools -- and a steelmaking byproduct called slag; these substances are melted together and spun into fibers, a little like candyfloss. Mycotecture: Mushrooms aren't just a flavor-packed addition to ravioli or ragu (or a sparkplug to the occasional psychedelic adventure); soon, tree-hugging fungi and forest-floor toadstools may replace materials like polystyrene, protective packaging, insulation, acoustic insulation, furniture, aquatic materials and even leather goods. Urine Bricks: Cement, concrete's primary ingredient, accounts for about 5% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. Researchers and engineers are working to develop less energy-intensive alternatives, including bricks made with leftover brewery grains, concrete modeled after ancient Roman breakwaters (Romans made concrete by mixing lime and volcanic rock to form mortar, a highly stable material), and bricks made of, well, urine. As part of his thesis project, Edinburgh College of Art student Peter Trimble was working on an exhibit that was supposed to feature a module on sustainability. Almost by accident, he created "Biostone": a mixture of sand (incidentally, one of Earth's most abundant resources), nutrients, and urea -- a chemical found in human urine. A greener particleboard: Despite what it sounds like, particleboard -- those rigid panels made of compressed and veneered wood chips and resin used in furniture and kitchen cabinetry throughout the world -- hasn't actually a place in the green-building pantheon. That's because the glue that binds particleboard's wood fibers traditionally contain formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical and known respiratory irritant and carcinogen. That means your faux-wood Ikea shelf is quietly "off-gassing" toxins into the air. One company, NU Green, created a material made from 100% pre-consumer recycled or recovered wood fibre called "Uniboard." Uniboard saves trees and avoids landfill, while also generating far fewer greenhouse gases than traditional particleboard, and contains no toxins. That's because Uniboard has pioneered the use of renewable fibers like corn stalks and hops, as well as no added formaldehyde (NAF) resin instead of glue.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

from Slashdot http://bit.ly/2G8AmWn

[guardianseries]

Title: Invited for a Job Interview? Now What?

Authors: Claire Jenkins, Anita Pickerden

Category: Careers, Job Hunting

My Review:

I had the pleasure of meeting author, Claire Jenkins at a recent networking event and was interested to hear about the launch of her new book, written in collaboration with Anita Pickerden. Invited for a Job Interview? Now What? is a delightful little guidebook breaking down all of the elements of preparing for, dressing for, and attending an interview.

With three teenagers under my roof who are at the Saturday job/University stage in their development, I thought this guide would be perfect to help them prepare for the experiences ahead.

What struck me straight away about this book was how positive it is. We’ve all applied for jobs, attended interviews, and being unsuccessful, but this guide shows you how to use this kind of experience to strengthen your interview techniques.

There are exercises throughout to test your knowledge and work out the finer details of the roles you are applying for. The section on researching the company you would like to work with was incredibly useful.

Whether you’re a school leaver looking for a weekend job, a mother returning to work after having children, or someone who wants to change roles/industry/company then this book is a valuable guide.

BUY a copy today from Amazon UK or Amazon US – available in eBook or Paperback.

Blurb:

This book is designed to help you to be successful at your next interview. It contains lots of helpful hints and tips, practical advice and simple exercises to help you to improve your interview preparation techniques. You’ll walk in feeling more confident in yourself and what you have to offer to your new employer.

Author Bio:

Claire Jenkins – With over 25 years’ experience of interviewing in the private, public and charity sectors she works with clients all over the world through the ‘magic’ of Skype or FaceTIme and with all age groups from teenagers and University undergraduates right through to the over 60s. She’s helped people to get jobs in sectors as diverse as: banking, aviation, legal, automotive, civil service, IT / data analysis, health, media, sport, public utilities and into academia. Claire’s clients are now working for organisations as wide ranging as: Ernst and Young, BBC, NATO, Dyson, Sky, KPMG, Jaguar Land Rover, Thomson Airways, NHS, Sport Wales, Royal Mail, Capita, Electoral Commission, Welsh Water, Time Out, Savills UK, TES Global, Camden Council, Roche, Crown Prosecution Service, RAF Cosford, Leeds Beckett University, Robin Hood Airport …and the list goes on Guardian Careers regularly use Claire as an “Expert Panelist” for live web chats on anything job interview related. Claire was a National “Investors in People” Award winner for her staff development and recruitment work at The Countryside Agency and is Civil Service Job Interview Panel trained – the Gold Standard in its sector

Dr Anita Pickerden was a lecturer in Further Education Colleges and Universities, designing and delivering high quality training programmes in Leadership and Management. She continues to teach in these areas, mainly in a work-based environment, for example on Executive Education programmes and managing Work Based Project modules on a Retail Management degree. Her PhD research shows that good work life balance can improve employee engagement and she works with associates to improve productivity and work performance through training; coaching and evaluation. Her company offers Work Life Balance and Resilience coaching programmes. Anita trained with the Centre for Coaching from 2004-2007, gaining qualifications in Coaching, Psychological Coaching, Coaching for Performance, Organisational Stress Management and Coaching for Health & Wellbeing. She also holds a Diploma and Advanced Diploma in NLP & Health from Central NLP. She has coached people in preparing for interviews since 2015, and helps individuals to get themselves ‘work-ready’ through an online support network called Work Horizons.

#BookReview Invited for a Job Interview? Now What? @121intervcoach #TuesdayBookBlog #Careers Title: Invited for a Job Interview? Now What? Authors: Claire Jenkins, Anita Pickerden Category…

[jedivszombie]

14, 17, 29!

Thank you pal ☺️✌🏼

14. do you enjoy your country’s cinema and/or TV?

I really love a lot of the drama and comedy TV shows we produce on BBC, Channel 4 and ITV and I especially love our comedy panel shows. I also love a lot of our cinema too - lots of fun Irish and Scottish and English indie films and more popular ones too.

17. are you interested in your country’s history?

I sure am! I did History at both GCSE and A Level and at uni I chose some British history specific modules as well. Whenever I go to a new place in the UK I like to go to the local museums and homes and stuff. I think it’s important to be aware of the things your country has done and been involved in, as much so you can understand your own place in the world but also so you can form your own opinions about the country you live in and how you interrogate nationalism.

29. does your region/city have a beef with another place in your country?

In terms of football yeah everywhere has beef with everyone. We’ve got beef with Northampton. Where I grew up had beef with Aston, Wolverhampton etc.

Outside of football the South of the country ignores the region I grew up in and currently live and just considers us North and a lot of Northerners also like to pretend we’re South.

hey gang, send me some I'm not from the US asks

[judefan828-blog]

compensation per order they fetch you

There are seven books in the series. Why don't they make a film of the Magicians Nephew or the Horse and his Boy, both of which are superb, and better than the over rated Lion, Witch and Wardrobe? Oh, and when I read them as a kid, it was for the fun and Cheap Jerseys free shipping escapism. The Christian symbolism went right over my head, and I think it probably would do today too!I grew up reading everything by Tolkien, CS Lewis and Ursula K LeGuin.

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If I had jumped in when I thought they were struggling, I would have wasted my energy and robbed them of the game that came out of it. Recently, I was outside with my boys, walking around and riding scooters. A mask fell out of the stroller I was pushing, and Asher asked me to put it on him.

On the day of my very scary incident I was doing a 20 mile bike ride. I started out at my house and got onto the main highway. The highway has a bike lane so it's relatively safe. Half the teams from nfl jerseys the preseason top 10 survived: Oregon (9), Texas Christian (5), Boise State (1), Ohio State (2) and Virginia Tech (7). Auburn was 18 to open the wholesale nfl jerseys season, Stanford was 19, Wisconsin was 13 and Arkansas was 17. Nevada, like a pistol shot, rose all the way from unranked.

A painting by iconic US artist Andy Warhol has sold for a staggering $105m ( at an auction in New York.The piece, Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster) smashed the previous record price for a Warhol piece by over $30m.It was the second highest price ever paid for modern art after the $142.4m splashed out on Francis Bacon's Three Studies of Lucian Freud at Christie's this week.Warhol's previous highest selling painting was Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I) which fetched $71.7m ( in 2007, according to the BBC.The disturbing painting depicts the immediate aftermath of a car crash, with a mangled body visible.The artist used images from wholesale nfl jerseys from china newspaper which were then "silk screened" onto canvas, the BBC reports.The piece has previously been owned by collectors including Briton Charles Saatchi.The other three double panel car crash paintings by Warhol are in museums.Competition for Silver Car Crash at Sotherby's auctioneers was extremely fierce, with five bidders going up to $80m in order to bag it, according to the auctioneers.The unidentified winner placed their bid by phone.Auctioneer Tobias Meyer told the BBC: "It's a great price Cheap Jerseys from china and completely worth it. It's the best painting I've ever sold in my whole career."Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterDaily NewsletterMore OnAndy WarholArtCharles SaatchiSummer transfer windowTransfer news LIVE: Liverpool end interest in Virgil van Dijk, plus latest on Kylian Mbappe, Hector Bellerin and every dealThe summer sales are on the way as clubs look forward to a busy few months. Keep up to date with all the latest hereCourt caseMum had 'part of her cheek bitten off after sending 13 year old daughter to get milk from neighbour'Hazel Gill, 36, and her son Michael Gill, 20, are on trial but both deny www.cheapjerseyssalesupply.com wounding with intent and unlawful woundingCourt caseNaked pensioner, 82, 'crawled into woman's bed and 'said: "It's about time I gave you a good seeing to"'Alan Stevenson was found guilty of attempting to sexually assault the woman but cleared of sexual assaultLotteryNational Lottery results: Winning numbers for 10m Lotto jackpot on Wednesday, June 7Tonight's lottery could make you a very rich person but have you got a winning ticket?General election pollsUK general election 2017 poll tracker: All the latest results as Conservatives battle LabourPolls are a crucial part of the election wallchart even if they've got a bad rep.

[robron-til-the-end-of-time]

I love the fact you know the stats on Strictly too, that's brilliant 😁 Have you considered a job as a statistician?! Interesting that couples's choice stems from the US version; if it weren't for that I might have linked it to Len going, given there isn't a ballroom specialist on the UK panel any more.

I never considered it was to do with Len leaving! It might be tbh, I don’t know. I DO miss Len though! I miss Darcy too. I’d shaft Shirley for either of them tbh.

Honestly, I read that stat somewhere else (and then checked it!), so it’s not mine, if we’re being fair! I LOVE statistics, my Maths statistics module I got 100% for A level, and it basically pulled my Maths A level into something very respectable! 

I just don’t think couples choice works.

I also think the BBC are trying so so so hard to hit every button, and attract everyone in their audience, that they’re going to lose viewers.

[mortgagebrokerplanotx]

Laurie Goodman — Affordability Issues in Housing

Contents

Foreclosure affidavit lead

Official sen. elizabeth warren

Amherst securities managing director laurie goodman

Federal court tuesday time cases

 · The Housing Crisis Never Really Ended. Chris Matthews.. According to Laurie Goodman, director of the Housing Finance Policy Center, the reason for this phenomenon is that financiers are simply.

Laurie Goodman is Director of the Housing Finance Policy Center at Urban Institute, an organization that drives policy change at the nation’s highest housing agencies with solid research and data. Tell us a little about Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center and its mission.

ABS East panel says Shiller wrong on housing bubble call A real estate bubble or property bubble (or housing bubble for residential markets) is a type of economic bubble that occurs periodically in local or global real estate markets, and typically follow a land boom.A land boom is the rapid increase in the market price of real property such as housing until they reach unsustainable levels and then decline.

"The question is: Why are so few manufactured homes being shipped each year when it’s such an affordable source of housing and we have an affordable housing crunch," said Laurie Goodman, co.

Fannie Mae: There are more potential homebuyers out there Sen. Warren sounds the alarm on irresponsible housing reform Tech snafu, improper foreclosure affidavit lead to sanctions for LPS Family flees dream home because it used to be a meth house She told the BBC: “It is very important, because he (John) had a lot to do with world peace and what we believed in, in terms of Amnesty. “But also, John was Liverpool-Irish and he was very proud of his lineage.” northern ireland artists wille doherty and Paul Seawright have contributed pieces to the display.Auction.com improves foreclosure outcomes for lenders and servicers Equator (EQ), a software provider of default servicing solutions, now offers lenders and servicers three new modules: loan segmentation, REO Segmentation and Invoice Management. "These new modules will seamlessly interface with existing modules to offer a best in class, end-to-end default suite to assist servicers with upcoming inventories," said equator chief executive officer chris saitta.lender processing Services (LPS) internal email accidentally Leaked in a Fraudclosure Case. 4closureFraud.org has received a very interesting court-certified document to share with our readers. An affidavit from Bank of America representative, Kimberly Sue Daley, refers to attached business records. The documents attached to the affidavit included a printout of email exchanges with the LPS Desktop logo.Warren sounds alarm on HUD hiring of embattled CFPB official sen. elizabeth warren said Eric Blankenstein’s past writings disqualify him from working at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.In prior years, HUD recognized Fannie Mae’s involvement in the development of the HUD 184 program and the use of our MOUs and expertise in tribal lending. Under our three-year DTS plan, we will provide renewed support with an expectation of leadership and influence on lending in Indian Country.Foreclosures fall 17.8% from year ago levels Still, the 61,000 foreclosures completed in January were down 17.8% from a year earlier. "The backlog of distressed assets continues to fade as the foreclosure inventory has fallen to a level not seen since mid-2009, with less than 3% of all mortgages in foreclosure," Mark Fleming, chief economist for CoreLogic, said in a statement.

Laurie Goodman is the Non-Executive Director of Research and Analytics at. policymakers with data-driven analyses of housing finance policy issues that they. Financial Advisory Roundtable, the Fannie Mae Affordable Housing Advisory.

 · amherst securities managing director laurie goodman, a major housing bear who expects further declines in home prices, believes such bulk sales are the key to cleaning out the foreclosure pipeline.

The key to success in the mortgage business: Making mentorship work Franchising is a juggling act – success depends on managers, franchisees and staff all being able to communicate and work towards one key goal in a business. ways to make it more effective and.

Laurie Goodman – Codirector of the Housing Finance Policy Center at the. She recently wrote about affordable housing in New Hampshire for the. So not only is there the issues with caring for an older home there could.

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RESEARCH REPORT. Housing Affordability. Local and National Perspectives. Laurie Goodman. Wei Li. Jun Zhu. URBAN INSTITUTE.

Late Friday, one day after Reveal published an expose detailing problems in the. confound housing experts because evictions are costly for landlords. “It doesn’t serve anyone well,” said Laurie.

and community development; the competitive Affordable Housing Program, which awards. through a survey on priority issues and available information in the district;.. 39 Laurie Goodman, Rolf Pendall and Jun Zhu (2015), “Headship and.

Contents Big law ceo federal court tuesday time cases fell Topics:. dr. laurie goodman Washington county sheriff’ Rising mortgage rates, sky-rocketing home prices, and inventory shortages at the lower end of the market are converging to create a new housing crisis – this time for baby boomers, housing.

Housing contribution to GDP below historical watermark The strong economy and tight jobs market has led many analysts to question the need for the $1.5 trillion tax cut package. “We’ve never seen a Congress in history serve up tax. Retail sales, labor.

“There’s clearly an affordable housing gap that’s growing and growing and growing,” said Laurie Goodman, vice president of the Housing. review and is confident that HUD will address the issues MHI.

The post Laurie Goodman — Affordability Issues in Housing appeared first on Mortgage Broker Plano Texas.

https://ift.tt/2Nnuz3L

[turtlethon]

"The Grybyx"

Season 3, Episode 41  

First US Airdate: December 14, 1989 First BBC UK broadcast: April 3, 1992

The Turtles and Shredder fight over a pet monster that arrives from Dimension X.

We edge closer to the end of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season three with "The Grybyx". Michael Reaves again is credited as writer here, following on from his work on "The Making of Metalhead".

We don’t waste much time getting into things today, as a competitive game of Pong (in 1989?) between Donatello and Michaelangelo is interrupted by an urgent message from April. She’s reporting alongside Vernon and Stan on a blood red portal that’s opened above the city. The Turtles are soon on the scene and watch as a furry creature emerges from the dimensional rift; after the hole closes up, they pursue the creature to the harbour, with April in her news van not far behind.

The Turtles corner the creature, which turns their weapons against them, but eventually find it to be friendly and figure it was just playing with them. Leonardo insists they should look after it until they can return it to its own dimension, but April remains wary.

In the Technodrome, Krang has picked up on the arrival of the creature and its psycho-kinetic abilities. He explains it’s a grybyx, which people in Dimension X keep as pets. If they can capture it, they could use its powers to raise the Technodrome to the surface.

The Turtles and April are playing with the grybyx in the lair when news breaks of a second portal opening over the city. Before they can use it to return the creature to its home, it closes again. Michaelangelo watches events unfold on TV and is convinced something emerged from the rift prior to its closure, and so the Turtles head off to investigate, leaving the grybyx with April and Splinter.

Surveying the area using the Turtle Blimp, the team regrettably encounter the Neutrinos, who explain the grybyx is Kala’s pet. They warn the Turtles that if it should eat earth food, the consequences could be disastrous. Leonardo warns April of this via Turtlecom, but it’s too late – she's already served up a pizza that causes the creature to expand into a huge, snarling monster.

After the first break, the grybyx uses its powers to levitate April and Splinter. Via Turtlecom, Kala tells April to get the creature wet; Splinter smashes a nearby pipe to soak the monster, returning it to its normal size. Before April and Splinter can find their bearings, the grybyx escapes the lair.

Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop and some Foot Soldiers pursue the grybyx through the sewers. In pursuit as well are the Turtles and Neutrinos, and the two groups soon end up engaging in battle. The prospect of a decent fight sequence between Leonardo and Shredder is quickly overshadowed by the grybyx using its powers to mess around with a laser rifle, sending the bad guys into retreat.

Using a panel from the transport module, Shredder deflects the blasts from the rifle to hit the grybyx, rendering it unconscious. Unable to escape in the module due to it being damaged in the fight, Shredder and his men instead use a gas bomb to escape.

Krang instructs Shredder on how to drain the grybyx’s energy, and so the bad guys head to a power facility. Their first attempt to begin the transfer fails when the systems overload, and so Shredder heads off to get replacement components, leaving the creature in the care of Rocksteady and Bebop.

Showing some compassion for the grybyx, Rocksteady snatches a burger out of Bebop’s hand and feeds it to the creature. It again grows in size, even more so than the last time, and chases the two hench-mutants into the street, destroying the front of the power plant in the process. 

The Turtles and Neutrinos continue their pursuit of the grybyx, while Rocksteady and Bebop run into Shredder as he walks out of an electronics store, damaging the circuit he just stole (or possibly just purchased with money like a normal person). The bad guys are chased by the monster, who tosses them around a nearby playground before hurling Shredder into an ice cream van.

After an off-hand remark from Raphael about how they’re headed for the big aquarium in the sky, Donatello has an idea. He uses a nearby fire hydrant to get the grybyx wet, returning it to its normal size once more. This hardly seems like a huge revelation, of course you need to get it wet, that’s been established!

Later, the Turtles say goodbye to the Neutrinos, but they can’t leave until we get yet another attempt to generate some romantic chemistry between Michaelangelo and Kala. It doesn’t work, it has never worked.

"The Grybyx" is a by-the-numbers nod to Gremlins. On paper, that isn’t necessarily a bad idea; plenty of episodes this season have been movie take-offs, and at least some of them have worked. But here it rarely becomes fun or engaging; Bebop and Rocksteady get a few decent one-liners as the story progresses, but it all feels routine, and the proceedings are bogged down by the Neutrinos yet again. One small consolation is that we’ll only have to endure this annoying trio three more times, twice in season four and a final time in season seven.

NEXT TIME: Another annoying being from another dimension makes his debut in “Mister Ogg Goes to Town”!

[wildehorroruniverse]

  A multifunction platform built around BBC’s micro:bit instructional board. It integrates a cute robotic, a starter package and in addition a board for experimenting.

  Some time in the past, in a previous article, we’ve got reviewed the micro:bit controller designed by the BBC as an object aimed to develop logic expertise and competencies in the subject of pc programming for the younger grade-school students.

The initiative has been a hit and a number of other manufacturers have developed and marketed further units to increase the chances provided by micro:bit.

YahBoom’s Sensible Automotive was notably fascinating for us because it permits to develop a wide selection of typical conditions for what is defined as “bodily computing”, utilizing a singular, low-cost package.

Among the many experimentation prospects, for what considerations the micro:bit used by itself, we will embrace:

managing a 5 x 5 LED matrix;

using an accelerometer to detect and acknowledge several types of movement similar to shaking, rotation and freefall;

using an digital compass able to detecting orientation and rotation in degrees relative to the north. One other risk may be using it as a “magnetic” metallic detector;

utilizing two keys, pressin either separately or concurrently;

utilizing the Bluetooth sensible know-how module which allows connecting micro:bit to other units outfitted with the same know-how, similar to another micro:bits, PCs, smartphones, Bluetooth kits, tablet PCs and cameras;

utilizing the radiofrequency module for communication between two or extra micro:bits;

measuring the room temperature utilizing the built-in thermometer;

risk to communicate utilizing the I²C and SPI bus;

combining the enlargement board for extra options:

sending instructions by way of an infrared distant management;

generating notes and melodies utilizing the wired buzzer on the enlargement board;

managing as much as 10 mm, RGB LEDs;

managing three further RGB LEDs;

on the board, we will discover the reciprocate pins for the I²C and SPI bus;

on the board, we will also discover the reciprocate pins for the micro:bit peripherals which aren’t utilized by the enlargement board. Particularly, pins P4, P5, P6, P7, P10;

powering utilizing a lithium viewers battery with recharge circuit built-in with the enlargement board.

The additional options may be optimally utilized by utterly assembling the “robotic” package together with the motors, wheels and the ultrasound sensor. On this configuration, we’ve access to the additional options under:

motor control;

utilizing the entrance sensors (infrared and ultrasound) for controlling the encompassing surroundings. These permit to make experiments with options reminiscent of avoiding obstacles and tracking objects;

utilizing the bottom infrared sensors to program a line tracker.

Lastly, as a cherry on prime, every part might be managed utilizing an Android smartphone app. Alternatively, we will use the JavaScript Blocks Editor normal improvement setting.

  Block diagram

Fig. 1 exhibits the micro:bit connector pin description whereas Fig. 2 exhibits the format of the enlargement board indicating on the units mounted on the board of their position on the board itself.

  Fig. 1

  A number of notes concerning the enlargement board:

the facility and recharge connector cannot be used to program the micro:bit. The micro:bit have to be programming connecting the USB cable from the PC on to the USB connector discovered on the micro:bit;

the battery recharging is carried out by the LTC4056 integrated, particularly designed for recharging and preserving in control of lithium-ion parts. The recharge status of the battery is indicated by two LED lights: a pink CHA LED (indicating recharge in progress) and inexperienced LED END indicating the recharge is finished;

  Fig. 2

  The PCA9586 integrated, a 16-channel PWM driver, controlled by means of the I²C bus, interfaces all the units requiring a PWM signal to be controlled, amongst which we discover the 2 direct current motors, the 2 10 mm LEDs, the road sensors, the output for the extra servo controls and for the infrared sensor to keep away from obstacles. Table 1 exhibits an indication of which pins from the PCA9685 built-in refers back to the numerous sensors and actuators, while Desk 2 lists the connections for the micro:bit pins.

Desk 1

  Table 2

  Constructing the SMART CAR

The small instructional robot is offered as a partially assembled package. The enlargement board is completely mounted while the other elements have to be assembled earlier than use. This manner, you have nothing to solder. Needless to say inside the sensible automotive box, bought by Open Electronics, the micro:bit is included.

The field, consists of the next:

1 x micro:bit board;

1 x micro:bit enlargement board;

1 x ultrasound sensor with connection cable;

2 x motor;

1 x supporting board for the ultrasound sensor;

2 x wheels;

1 x micro USB cable;

1 x infrared remote management;

1 x screwdriver;

four x M3*40 copper pegs;

2 x M2*10 copper pegs;

2 x ultrasound sensor stand;

1 x lithium battery;

1 x instruction guide;

1 x omnidirectional broadcaster wheel;

2 x motor stands;

screws and nuts.

    Fig. 4

Fig. 4 exhibits the assembly diagram which incorporates the next steps:

1. Mounting the motors using the dedicated white stands and the two x 6 mm screws and nuts (screws on the supporting board aspect and nuts on the motor stand aspect). Connect the motors cables to the devoted connectors beside them based on the polarity;

2. As soon as the motors are mounted, insert the two wheels on the motor axles by pushing them (without pushing too much);

3. Place the omnidirectional ball caster and fix it in place using two 2 x 6 mm screws and nuts (screws on the supporting board aspect and nuts on the ball caster aspect).

four. Mount the four three x 40 mm brass pegs which are going to help the ultrasound sensor. Repair the screws on the body aspect. Then, place the upper help base with the longer aspect in the direction of the wheels on the smartcard. Fix the 2 three x 8 mm screws on the rear aspect. Place the 2 help flanges on the infrared sensor and repair them to the bottom and to the front pegs using two 3 x 8 mm screws.

5. Join the cable to the ultrasound sensor;

6. Move the cable via the oblong gap on the help base. Connect it to the connector on the enlargement board and eventually repair the ultrasound sensor on the two flanges using the 3 x eight mm screws and nuts. The screws go on the front aspect and the nuts on the aspect of the flange;

 7. Make sure that the facility deviator is on “off”, i.e. with the lever in the direction of the battery connector. Place the battery in its case and connect the cables to the corresponding connector, beside the facility deviator, in accordance with the polarity. Connect the motor cables to the devoted connectors beside the motors ensuring, as soon as once more, to respect polarity;

8. Insert the micro:bit in its connector, the pink LEDs dealing with in the direction of the front aspect of the smartcard, the one with the ball caster. The traction wheels are on the rear aspect.

  Fig. 5 exhibits how the Sensible Automotive should look in the long run with each dimension. As soon as the meeting is complete, the first thing to do is to recharge the battery. Join a 5 V energy adapter outfitted with a micro USB connector (the type you find with smartphones), to the CHARGE” connector of the help board, with the deviator in Off place. The purple LED will activate, indicating that the battery is recharged. Once the recharge is completed, the pink LED will flip off and the inexperienced one will turn on to point that the recharge is full. Now, we’re ready to program our Sensible Automotive for the primary time.

  Fig. 5

  Use and programming

As anticipated within the article beforehand mentioned, we’ve got totally different environments for programming the micro:bit, which is for probably the most part characterised by their net availability, without having to put in software program on your PC. After importing the development environments’ applets on the browser’s cache, we will write our packages even without an Web connection. For cellular units, corresponding to tablets and smartphones, freely downloadable apps are available on the suppliers’ shops apart from the aforementioned net environments.

Earlier than we will begin, we should join the micro:bit to our PC using the USB cable included within the package deal. As soon as related, the micro:bit ought to be mechanically acknowledged as a mass USB storage memory. If we have now Home windows XP, we should set up its driver. Now, you possibly can hook up with micro:bit’s reference webpage at:

http://microbit.org/

On the primary page, click on on the “Let’s Code” button and you’ll be taken to a page listing the varied program environments. As a way to program the micro:bit to interact with the enlargement board of the Sensible Automotive, we’ve got to use the JavaScript Block Editor improvement surroundings, a block improvement surroundings taking inspiration from the solution used by Scratch.

  Javascript BLOCK EDITOR

Identical to Scratch, it is rather easy to use although it isn’t a toy. It allows going in-depth with structured programming and event administration. The composition technique of a program entails choosing the blocks representing the instructions, dragging them to the editor panel, configure them of their customizable sections and make them “fit” appropriately. This operation is made easier by the blocks’ form. The block could be related only if they are suitable and the shapes correspond. Clearly, this mechanism doesn’t guarantee that the logic we are going to create can be formally right, at the very least from a syntactic perspective.

  Fig. 6

  In this improvement surroundings, there are also very “expressive” blocks, such as the one out there for configuring the LED show. Once the programming part is over, you’ll be able to run the code you simply compiled underneath a simulation surroundings, as a way to perform correctness checks, before transferring the code on the bodily micro:bit. So as to activate the simulation setting, we should click on on the “Restart the simulation” icon, the center one within the bottom left nook. Once we enter the simulation setting, we will try out the varied functionalities.

  Fig. 7

After opening the event setting, to start out programming our Sensible Automotive, we must enrich the development setting itself using the JavaScript Block Editor extension for Sensible Automobiles. To try this, click on on “Advanced” on the left aspect menu, which recaps the obtainable programming blocks libraries. In the bottom of the drop-down menu click on “Add Package deal” as shown in Fig. 6. A window will show up as seen in Fig. 7. Right here, sort within the tackle under:

  https://github.com/lzty634158/yahboom_mbit_en

  which factors to the GitHub repertory containing the block library devoted to sensible automobiles. Once entered the tackle, click on on the search icon which can show the “mbit” library. Click on it and the blocks can be added to the aspect menu bar (Fig. 8).

  Fig. eight

  A word about how the library works. Some locks included within the library make the LEDs and sensors simpler to program, providing a better degree interface compared to the one requiring to set the only pins. The added value of the library is to offer totally different management blocks, corresponding to these for setting the LEDs and controlling the motors, which interface with a single PWM era pins on the PCA9685 built-in circuit. This setting permits to actually broaden the features out there on the micro:bit compared to it getting used alone and to make it extremely simpler to use. As the first instance of use, we’ve got selected an software, amongst those out there on the smartcard tutoring website, which allows controlling how our “little robot” works through the use of the infrared remote control. As a way to obtain it, go on http://www.yahboom.com/study_en/Bitbot_EN

scroll the web page right down to part “4 – Robot classes”. Click on on the merchandise “9 – Infrared Management”. On the web page that may present up, you’ll be able to obtain a PowerPoint of the undertaking and the code for the challenge itself. Download them each in a folder of your PC. In the PowerPoint file, you’ll be able to see a short presentation the place you’ll find the diagram on the features assigned to the remote management.

Now, from the programming window, upload this system on the development setting, by clicking on the folder icon and choosing the “microbit-Lesson-9-Infrared-control.hex” program just downloaded as proven in Fig. 9. Click on on “Go ahead” to continue.

  Fig. 9

  Given the documentation obtainable for the Scratch setting and, referring to the article about micro:bit previously talked about, we are simply going to recommend some modification to program you will have simply opened as a way to limit the sensible automobiles velocity. In every block the place you’ll be able to see the velocity set at “255”, you need to edit values as shown in Fig. 10so as to limit the sensible automotive’s velocity of 255, which is then reworked in the obligation cycle assigned to the PWM controlling the motors, making the automotive uncontrollable. Take this chance to additionally reorganize the blocks in an effort to make their format extra rational. You possibly can see an instance in Fig. 10. Carried out? 

  Fig. 10

  Download this system on a folder with a purpose to have a backup for it and then on the micro:bit’s filesystem, which ought to appear among the mass storage reminiscences of your PC with its identification letter. Keep in mind to connect the USB cable out of your PC to the USB connector on the micro:bit and not on the enlargement board, otherwise you need to upload anything. 

As soon as the obtain is over, disconnect the USB cable and take the distant management. The first time, you will have to remove the battery protection, otherwise… no infrared. A short description of the features obtainable on the distant control might be seen in Fig. 11. Key “1” turns off on the LEDs which are turned on. Key “2”, the one with the lightbulb, turns on the RGB LEDs with white mild, keys “4” (“+”) and “5” (“-”) permit to activate the LEDs utilizing, respectively, a green and pink mild. Keys on the block “2”, permit controlling the right way to Sensible Automotive moves. You’ll be able to easily perceive what the keys imply by their icons. Keys on the block “6”, from zero to 9, however, permit displaying several patterns on the LED matrix display. You possibly can turn on the Sensible automotive using the facility deviator. Await the program to load and… Have enjoyable. In fact, this is simply the bottom on which you’ll be able to build and experiment, modifying this program or different instance packages.

  Fig. 11

From openstore

Sensible Robotic Automotive for Micro:bit

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Buzz Aldrin sloshed around in pee on the moon (and 11 other Apollo facts)

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/buzz-aldrin-sloshed-around-in-pee-on-the-moon-and-11-other-apollo-facts/

Buzz Aldrin sloshed around in pee on the moon (and 11 other Apollo facts)

There was probably pee inside the boot that made this print. (NASA/)

On July 20, 1969 our species took its first steps on an alien world. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, here are a few facts you might not find in a history textbook.

If you like these weird facts, check out our hit podcast The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week for loads more.

Buzz Aldrin did his moon walk while sloshing around in pee

“Buzz Aldrin often claims to be the first person to urinate on the moon,” Teasel Muir-Harmony, curator of the National Air and Space Museum’s Space History Department, tells PopSci. This is a frequent point of discussion in interviews about his role in the historic mission. But what many people don’t know is that the urination did not go according to plan.

“What’s unfortunate is that when he landed the lunar module, he landed so softly that the legs, which were designed to compress, didn’t,” Muir-Harmony explains. As a result, what was supposed to be a small step from the module to the surface was more of a giant leap. In the jolt of that surprising step down, Aldrin’s urine collection device broke. “So instead of going where it was supposed to, the liquid ended up collecting in one of his boots,” she says. “When he walked around the lunar surface he was kind of sloshing around.”

A historic moment for humankind indeed.

Astronauts could pretty much get Corvettes for free

A General Motors dealer offered some very-extra-cheap special lease terms to NASA fliers. It’s not clear whether all the Apollo 11 astronauts took advantage of this deal—but many of their colleagues did. This all started when astronaut Alan Shepard drove up to training in a ’57 Corvette, which prompted GM to gift him with a new car after he became the first American in space. NASA worried the association between astronauts and Corvettes appeared like an official endorsement, but the car had left the garage.

A lot of Apollo memorabilia has a very upsetting backstory

Ever heard of the Apollo insurance covers? Starting with Apollo 11, astronauts signed dozens or hundreds of autographs for the express purpose of supporting their families in the event of a disaster. Getting life insurance to cover your death on (or en route to) the moon came at astronomical costs—not even NASA’s insurance covered flight at the time—so crews found a way of creating their own insurance. The idea was that their loved ones could sell the memorabilia, which would become even more valuable if the astronauts died. Most of these have sold for around $5,000, but Armstrong’s—which his family held onto until quite recently—go for higher prices.

The practice once led to a scandal: In 1971, the crew of Apollo 15 decided to cash in on a deal from a stamp dealer and carry 400 unauthorized postal covers into space with them. Astronauts had brought memorabilia with them before, but in this case, the items weren’t properly approved as on-board personal items. The fact that each man accepted $7,000 for bringing them to space and back also angered NASA and the public. None of them ever flew in space again, and some of the postal covers were seized for a time.

The President was prepared for a catastrophe

President Nixon had a speech ready to go for the eventuality of Armstrong and Aldrin dying in the course of their mission. What’s especially creepy about this is that the text seems to elude to a scenario where the men have landed, but cannot get back to the orbiting Columbia vessel to get home. It’s hard to fathom how different our attitude toward space travel would be if NASA had listened to two men slowly run out of oxygen and die.

The moon has a smell

Many astronauts describe the odor of moon dust—which they’ve sniffed after tracking it back inside their landers on boots and suits—as smelling like spent gunpowder. Samples returned to Earth don’t seem to retain this odor.

Apollo 17 astronaut Jack Schmitt experienced what NASA refers to as the first recorded case of extraterrestrial hay fever: after his first walk on the surface, he removed his helmet and immediately became quite congested. He seems to have developed a tolerance pretty quickly, with his second and third ventures outside the lander triggering much milder reactions.

The Columbia had a smell, too: wet dog and farts

Space missions sound majestic in the abstract, but you only have to imagine the reality of three adults living and working in an enclosed space for days to realize it wasn’t always magical. In his book Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journey, Apollo 11 crew member Michael Collins recalls the foul odor of their vessel: “The right side of the lower equipment bay, wherein are located old launch day urine bags, discarded washcloths, and worse, is now a place to be avoided. The drinking water is laced with hydrogen bubbles (a consequence of fuel-cell technology which demonstrates that H2 and O join imperfectly to form H2O). These bubbles produce gross flatulence in the lower bowel, resulting in a not-so-subtle and pervasive aroma which reminds me of a mixture of wet dog and marsh gas.” This is still an improvement over Apollo 10’s in-flight atmosphere, which included a mysterious floating turd (or possibly several).

Speaking of space farts, NASA once looked into whether or not they might pose a fire hazard during spaceflight.

Armstrong hogged the camera

NASA was reportedly embarrassed to realize they had hardly any photos of the first man to walk on the moon. That’s because Aldrin and Armstrong were sharing one camera, and Armstrong held onto it for most of their two-and-half hour tour. NASA also realized after the fact how difficult it was to tell astronauts apart when they were in their suits, which prompted the agency to add personalized armbands for future missions.

No, Apollo astronauts didn’t have to go through customs in Hawaii

Sorry.

Yes, Apollo astronauts did have to spend four days in a trailer

The Apollo 11 crew was surely desperate for some fresh air and room to roam upon escaping the smelly confines of the Columbia, but they weren’t quite in the clear. The men were popped right into protective suits upon exiting the craft, and shuttled over to a converted Airstream trailer called the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF). They stayed there for 88 hours to ensure they wouldn’t expose the world to any “space germs.”

Neil Armstrong’s first words on the moon are hotly contested

They’ve even been the subject of linguistic studies.

Do you have a flag? No.

NASA didn’t make its mission flags to last on the barren and exposed lunar surface; that would have been a time-and-money consuming engineering feat. They were just regular nylon flags made to stand up with wire and last for the duration of the landing photo opp. But Apollo 11’s American flag might not have lasted even a day: Aldrin says he saw it fall over when he and Armstrong blasted off.

Even any flags that survived their initial missions are likely totally bleached due to the moon’s lack of protection from solar radiation. They may even have disintegrated.

Pink Floyd provided a live, improvised soundtrack to the landing for the BBC

“We [Pink Floyd] were in a BBC TV studio jamming to the landing,” guitarist David Gilmour wrote in The Guardian in 2009. “It was a live broadcast, and there was a panel of scientists on one side of the studio, with us on the other. I was 23. The programming was a little looser in those days, and if a producer of a late-night programme felt like it, they would do something a bit off the wall.”

The resulting song is called Moonhead, and bootlegs of it are on YouTube. “It was fantastic to be thinking that we were in there making up a piece of music, while the astronauts were standing on the moon,” Gilmour wrote. “It doesn’t seem conceivable that that would happen on the BBC nowadays.”

If you liked these weird facts, check out our hit podcast The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week for loads more.

Written By Rachel Feltman